OVER THE AERIAL

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 226, 23 September 1932, Page 12

OVER THE AERIAL

RADIO NOTES. from: far ASD near. (By PHONOS.) "The fact that over half of the listeners in New Zealand listen to 2YA is a strong plea for increasing the power and the quality of the other stations. At present they seem to be a waste of money," says the "Dominion." Unfortunately they are not paid for yet. With an engineer of Mr. Smith's experience in charge, listeners may now look to improvement in quality and reliability of transmission from 2YA. It has long been recognised that our most powerful broadcasting plant has failed to live up to all that was originally claimed for it. Arrangements have been made to broadcast the second half of Szigeti's concert at Wellington on October 4, when the noted Hungarian violinist will open his New Zealand tour. The broadcast will commence at 9.15 and conclude at 10.15. Arrangements are being made to relay the programme to other New Zealand stations.

Listeners in New Zealand should be thankful that they are spared euch inflictions as this: — Announcer (of an Australian "B" class station) : "Now, children, I want to tell you the story of Goldilocks. Before beginning this, it has just come to my mind that if there's any little brunette who'd like to emulate Goldilocks, P. Rocksides' Hair Bleach never fails to do its duty." In the securing of prominent persone to appear for brief talks before the microphone, the Broadcasting Board i«s displaying more enterprise than we have been accustomed to in the paet. Overseas visitors provide a wide field for this department of programme work, and they are now being well exploited. Recently we had. in Auckland a brief chat from a French visitor, prominent in the Olympic Games Council, and this week the talk by Don BradmanMias been given due importance through a Dominion-wide relay- Touches like these make real features for programmes. They are to radio what the topical gazettes are to the cinema. The talk by Don Bradman from 2YA on Monday night was in many respects a model that could be followed with advantage by numbers who contemplate discoursing before the microphone. His material was well arranged and simply stated, and he brought out essential facts without an overburdening of detail. Many of the educative talks from IYA lose much of their educative quality from their neglect of marshalling and emphasising of the essential facts. An agricultural lecture heard this week was a striking example of this weakness.

"Why can't wo buy English receivers instead of American ones?" is a query often heard from people who desire to follow the "Buy British" slogan. It may interest thoeo to know that more than one English receiver has been imported into Auckland for testing purposes, with a view to its sale being developed locally. The P. and T. Department, however, has stepped in, and forbidden importations by refusing to paes the eets as suitable for New Zealand requirements. Tests have shown that, for New Zealand conditions, where reaching out for reception ie neceesary, these English importations are definite creatore of interference- When the makers' attention has been drawn to this, they have frankly admitted the fact, explaining that conditions in Britain do not require the same features in a set as are needed here. Hence they can do no business until they cater specifically for our markets. This, apparently, they are not willing to do immediately. The Federal Radio Commission has at last sanctioned the use of broadcasting powers in America to the extent of 500 k.w. The first station to take advantage of the new emancipation will be WLW, Cincinnati, which is already considered to be the best-heard station on the American continent. The station, which belongs to the Crossley Radio Corporation, will employ a steel shaft 850 ft high as an aerial mast to determine howi much additional "coverage" is possible with the increased power. If the tests prove that a centrally-located station with tremendous power can cove*the entire United States, great changes in the American system of broadcasting, particularly network radio, may result. Up to the present the highest experimental power ever attempted in the United State?, is the 400 k.w. for which KDKA has been licensed. The highest regular power in the United States, however, is only 75 k.w., used by XER at Villa Acuna, Mexico.

FROM IYA NEXT WEEK.

Sunday.—7, from Pitt Street Methodist Church; 8.30, Municipal Band. Monday—ll, Miss W. Peat, "The Care of the Feet"; 7.30, Agricultural Talk, Mr. Alexander; 8 (to IZH), relay of wrestling. Tuesday.—ll, Health Talk; 5, Uncle I Dave; 7.30, Amateur Transmitters; 8 (to IZH), recordings; 9.3, G. O'Halloran, "Some Celebrities I Have Met"; 10, dance music. Wednesday.—ll, "Interior Decorating and Colour Scheming," J. Redfern; 5, Uncle Reg.; 7.30, W.E.A., Mr. Owen Jensen; 8 (to IZH), recordings; 8.30, Miss Glwadys Edwardes; 8.36, Vincent Aspey (violin); 9, Captain R. Falcon, "The North-West Frontier of India"; 9.25, Miss G. Edwardes. Thursday.—ll, "Cooking by Gas"; 12.30, St. Matthew's Service; 3.15, Home Science Talk; 5, Skipper; 7.30, W.E.A., Dr. Belshaw; 8 (to IZH), relay of Bohemian Orchestra; 9.30, dance music. Friday.—ll, Home Industries Talk; 5, Nod and Aunt Dorothea; 7.30, Sports Talk; 8 (to IZH), recordings; 8.9, Balmoral Male Quartet; 8.16, orchestra; 8.25, Miss Winifred Hill (soprano) ; 0.3, Julius Hogben, "Some Samples of Crimes from the Good Old Days." Saturday.—2.4s, Eden Park relay; 5, Cinderella; 7.30, Horticultural Society; 8.11, Kohala Instrumental Quartet; 8.21, Mr. and Mrs. Prentice (piano and vocal); 8.30, Miss Aimee Clapham (soprano); 8.38, C. W. Bruce (accordion); 8.44, Raymond Reeve (humour); 8.53, R. H. Jenkins (tenor); 9.3, G. A. Thomas, "Story of British Sports"; 10, Sports Summary;~-10.10, dance program'ne. Recordings by Lex Mac Donald will be broadcast from 2YA on Wednesday evening next. Mr. D. J. Crowle has been appointed as additional announcer at 3YA.